I can’t believe that I actually fell asleep. How could I do that? It was probably the dumbest thing I could do. Seriously.

Before I even closed my eyes, I made it a point to turn on the tv and watch the news. It was 27 min of fire coverage and 3 min of weather that might has well just said, “No rain, so more fire.”

But here I am at 3:15 covered in darkness and soot. I knew that it could have crested the hill, but I guess I doubted that it would. No. That’s a lie. I knew it would come o this.

The fire was coming. And I had known it. But why the hell did I stay?

I could’ve just gone to the shelter at the middle school a couple of miles down the road. Santa Something-or-Other.

I knew it was coming. Why didn’t I leave?

I can feel the heat now. Of all the times that the city had started to burn, this was the first when I actually felt the heat. More intense than I imagined.

I can’t believe that I stayed. Did I actually plan to die?